Editorial: Moore Brings Common Sense Values to Council
Editor’s Note- This is our continuing coverage of each Common Council member. Next up is Alderman Mike Phillips.
By Brandi Makuski
With nearly 14 years of consecutive Common Council service under his belt, Jerry Moore is among the most experienced in Stevens Point government today.
You’d think that would make a man stuffy, disillusioned and indifferent. But instead, Moore presents himself as soft-spoken, gentle and thoughtful, and one who rarely makes decisions quickly.
Don’t mistake it as weakness.
Moore’s belief structure centers around the power of the electorate, and he’s had plenty of opportunity to speak out against what he refers to as “shifting the balance of power” away from voters. In the summer of 2012, Moore was a major player in the “appointed versus elected” debate, when Mayor Andrew Halverson created a special committee to determine whether two city positions, those of city attorney and comptroller/treasurer, should be appointed rather than elected.
Despite being incensed with the idea in its entirety, Moore kept his mouth shut and listened to opposing views, challenging those in favor of the idea through a series of questions rather than accusations and snide remarks, waiting until the end of each of those special committee meetings before declaring a strikingly similar comment each time at the end:
“I think this entire idea is ridiculous and takes too much power away from the voice of the constituents we were all elected to represent.”
Moore’s careful consideration of each issue and open desire to keep the electorate in control has earned him respect from all corners of city and county government. It’s unlikely Moore could ever be swayed in his views based on the strength of his long- standing relationships with friends, neighbors or other businessmen/women in the community; evidenced by his cordial friendships with Council Members and other local officials, some of whom are vocally very liberal in their viewpoints, when Moore has more conservative views.
Those views helped shape his “no” vote during the first round of talks for the domestic partnership benefit agreement. Moore said that extending spousal benefits to same- sex partners of city employees was discriminatory to opposite- sex partners who lived as husband and wife without being actually married. His argument was shared by other Council Members, and eventually the wording of the law was changed to include same-sex and opposite-sex partners.
One debate Moore says he was disappointed in losing surrounded the city discussions over the city assessor position. The debate of whether or not to keep the assessor an elected position, versus changing it to a contracted position under control of the department of community development, had gone on for over a year. Moore maintained his position of retaining accountability to the electorate, though he was in the minority. It’s something he- and a few other Council Members- are still angry about.
“This is nothing more than a power grab,” Moore said
Though Moore isn’t old enough to be a baby boomer, he displays all the repose of a member of the “Greatest Generation”: one who appreciates what he has after knowing hardship and strife; one who fixes an old radio instead of tossing it out for a newer model; one who considers all the facts before deciding what he thinks.
Moore’s got a quiet, careful personality one might mistake for nonchalance or even indifference. His emotions aren’t worn on his sleeve, so a mere rolling of the eyes are a sign he’s about to say something quite harsh.
Moore possesses the rarest of traits among council members- that of repose. His soft- spoken manner makes just about anyone him comfortable airing their own opinions, whether that person lives in his district or not.